This handout satellite image released on May 25, 2021 by Maxar Technologies shows an overview before the eruption of the Mt Nyiragongo volcano near Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. PHOTO | MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES
Orders on Thursday to evacuate Goma, a city lying in the shadow of DR Congo's Mount Nyiragongo volcano, have shed light on a rare but potentially catastrophic risk -- a "limnic eruption," when volcanic activity combined with a deep lake can spew out lethal, suffocating gas.
The phenomenon first came to the world's attention in August 1984, when 37 people mysteriously died at Lake Monoun in western Cameroon.
